Vehicle and aviation communities continually attempt to achieve improved safety and reduced operating costs. Health and Usage Monitoring Systems (HUMS) monitor the drive train and other vehicle and aircraft component's health using specialized measurements and diagnostics. For example, in the case of a helicopter or other rotorcraft, the rotating blades in a blade assembly as well as other mechanical components in the drive train, may be monitored as they experience bending, twisting, imbalances, misalignments, wear and other vibratory forces during flight, which, in turn, could lead to premature wear detrimental to mechanical integrity.
HUMS equipment may be installed onboard and wired to onboard sensors or systems to obtain measurement data pertaining to various mechanical components, which, in turn, may be processed and analyzed to characterize the condition of those components. For example, vibration measurements may be utilized by a Rotor Track and Balance (RTB) system that tracks vibration of rotors of the rotorcraft and takes corrective action to smooth such vibration. In such equipped rotorcraft, a tachometer and accelerometers may be placed in close proximity to a rotor but remotely from the HUMS. The accelerometers sense vibration due to the rotor and the tachometer detects angular speed and phase of the rotor and generates sensor data based thereon. The sensor data is then sent to the HUMS, typically over one or more wires. Thus, traditional HUMS installations can be heavy, costly, and susceptible to other problems.
Typically, HUMS data is then subsequently transferred, via a physical connection, to another device which may further process the data and generate graphical displays based on the data that can be reviewed by a pilot, crew chief, HUMS manager, or the like. However, this process can be time consuming and require a user have the appropriate hardware (e.g., the necessary cables for connecting to the HUMS box and access to a ruggedized portable computer with the necessary software for processing the HUMS data).
In view of the foregoing, it is desirable to enable HUMS data to be reviewed in a more expeditious and convenient manner to improve the efficiency of operations (or reduce operating costs) without compromising safety and while remaining in full compliance with regulatory or operational guidelines. Additionally, it is desirable to decrease costs, weight, and other drawbacks associated with traditional HUMS installations to increase proliferation of HUMS capabilities, and thereby, improved safety and operational outcomes resulting from increased adoption and retrofitting. Other desirable features and characteristics will become apparent from the subsequent detailed description and the appended claims, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and the foregoing technical field and background.